What is Massage all about?

The benefits of a soothing massage are both priceless and timeless, so it's no wonder massage has been around since ancient times. Massage may be the oldest and simplest form of medical care. Egyptian tomb paintings show people being massaged. In Eastern cultures, massage has been practiced continually since ancient times. A Chinese book from 2,700 B.C., The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, recommends 'breathing exercises, massage of skin and flesh, and exercises of hands and feet" as the appropriate treatment for -complete paralysis, chills, and fever." Although rooted in Eastern tradition, massage eventually traveled westward to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It was one of the principal method of relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Julius Caesar was said to have been given a daily massage to treat neuralgia. When the Roman Empire fell, however, massage, like many medical and scientific practices, became suspect. "The Physician Must Be Experienced In Many Things," wrote Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, in the 5th century B. C., "but assuredly in rubbing.. . for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid." Eventually resurfacing in Europe during the Renaissance, it continued to evolve as a form of healing. But it wasn't until the 19th century that Swedish massage, which is the most popular technique practised today was developed, combining modern principles of physiology with ancient techniques.

Doctors such as Ambroise Pare, a 16th-century physician to the French court, praised massage as a treatment for various ailments. Swedish massage, the method most familiar to Westerners, was developed in the 19th century by a Swedish doctor, poet, and educator named Per Henrik Ling. His system was based on a study of gymnastics and physiology, and on techniques borrowed from China, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Physiotherapy, originally based on Ling's methods, was established with the foundation in 1894 of the Society of Trained Masseurs. During World War I patients suffering from nerve injury or shell shock were treated with massage. St. Thomas's Hospital, London, had a department of massage until 1934. However, later breakthroughs in medical technology and pharmacology eclipsed massage as physiotherapists began increasingly to favour electrical instruments over manual methods of stimulating the tissues.

Massage lost some of its value and prestige with the unsavory image created by "massage parlours." This image is fading as awareness of the value and therapeutic properties of massage grows.

Since World War II, massage has enjoyed ever-growing popularity. Nowadays, thanks to strict industry standards, massage is a commonly accepted form of alternative, as well as traditional, medicine. Many people rely on massage to maintain good health and energy, to prevent and cure illness, and for simple relief from stress and other consequences of life in the 21st century.

Massage is now used in intensive care units, for children, elderly people, babies in incubators, and patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart attacks, or strokes. Most hospices have some kind of bodywork therapy available, and it is frequently offered in health centres, drug treatment clinics, and pain clinics.

A variety of massage techniques have also been incorporated into several other complementary therapies, such as Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Rolfing, Hellerwork, and Osteopathy.

While a once off  Massage-Etc massage can significantly improve the way you feel in the short term, receiving a regular Massage-Etc massage can provide significant prevention and wellness benefits. Our continued good health and well-being relies on the free flowing circulation of blood, lymph, and energy in our bodies. In order to have good circulation, one must have movement. This is because movement contracts our muscles and enhances the circulation in our bodies.

Firstly we have active movement, such as walking, stretching, and exercising. Secondly we have passive movement; that's when someone else moves your body. That's what massage is all about.